 "Photo:")
Sheldon Schwartz used to work in the movie development for a Los Angeles comic book company. His brother Jay was a lawyer in Chicago.
That all changed when they bought Strange Cargo from its previous owner in 1993.
The vintage store, at 3448 N. Clark St., has been in business for 20 years. And judging from a physical expansion it underwent recently, it seems to be doing well.
Two years ago, Sheldon, 33, and Jay, 36, bought out Flashback Collectibles, which was located next door to Strange Cargo. After the wall was knocked out, the store's space jumped from 2,200 to 3,300 square feet.
The space is filled with racks and shelves of vintage clothing, like used Levi's, pea coats, T-shirts and leather jackets, not to mention some new stuff as well.
An entire section of the store is dedicated to shoes, shoes and more shoes. Sheldon said Strange Cargo is probably the largest Converse dealer in Illinois. He and Jay also sell "tons of women's shoes" and vintage Air Jordans.
The store also specializes in accessories and trinkets that are mostly from the 1970s and '80s. Sheldon said trading cards are "a big thing now." The store's wide array of unopened plastic packs of Garbage Pail Kids, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Goonies and other cards reflects this.
"Everything's original," Sheldon said. "You can't get it anywhere else."
The store is also big into iron-on T-shirt decals, with a bunch of them plastered to the top half of one of the walls. There are some original posters, featuring Bon Jovi, New Kids on the Block, George Harrison and "Miami Vice," among others.
Because Strange Cargo is in the hip Lincoln Park area, it competes against other vintage stores, such as Flashy Trash, Beatnix, and Hubba-Hubba. Sheldon thinks his store's customer service and "aggressive pricing" is what sets it apart from the rest.
In fact, he said, a typical response from people when they find out he owns Strange Cargo is "'Oh my God, I love that place. Everyone's so nice.'" Sheldon is proud of this because he wants the store to make customers feel more comfortable than in "many other stores, where people don't even acknowledge you."
Customer Lynsie Baumler, 17, likes the relaxed atmosphere. She comes on the train with her friends every other weekend from Bartlett to check out the "crazy old vintage stuff."
"Other places don't have actual old things, and (Strange Cargo) has good sales," Baumler said.
Sheldon and Jay make regular trips to different warehouses, stores and antique shows. Between them, the brothers usually spend about a week every month hunting down "unique, quality merchandise."
If the clothes are used, they want to make sure there are no horrific flaws, like stains or holes. "We dry-clean everything (and) try to put it on the rack immaculate," Sheldon said.
The brothers go to trade shows to look for new clothes that cannot be found in department stores. Although Strange Cargo caters to much the same crowds as Urban Outfitters, Sheldon said he and Jay try to carry clothes the chain store does not offer.
Strange Cargo puts out new merchandise every week, and sometimes daily. That's why Sheldon said the store has a "huge repeat business. ... At least a dozen (regular) customers come in once a week to see what's new."
Besides the regulars, the Schwartz brothers also can expect to welcome members of bands like 311 and Floggin' Molly that play at Metro, a popular concert venue down the street. "If they have time to kill, they come shopping," Sheldon said.
Also, stylists have come in looking for clothes to outfit actors in both plays and movies, like "Rock Star" and "While You Were Sleeping." '"High Fidelity" was probably the biggest one," Sheldon said.
"Everything Jack Black was wearing was from (Strange Cargo)."
For store hours and more information, call (773) 327-8090.
Be the first to comment on this article!